Aging & Wisdom Quote by John Deacon

There is a whole origin story hiding in the plainness of John Deacon naming his first bass: an Eko, “a very old thing with a thin neck.” It reads like throwaway gear talk, but the specificity is the point. Deacon isn’t myth-making; he’s grounding the legend in the kinds of imperfect, affordable instruments that working musicians actually start on. “Very old” signals hand-me-down economics and pre-fame scrappiness, not the curated boutique nostalgia that later attaches itself to rock history.

The “thin neck” detail is especially telling. Bassists rarely romanticize ergonomics, yet Deacon does, quietly admitting that comfort and playability shape technique. A thin neck invites speed, lighter touch, and a certain melodic agility - qualities that map onto his reputation in Queen: lines that don’t just thump; they move, they sing, they lock with the drums while still carrying hooks. He’s hinting that the instrument’s physical feel trained his hands before anyone trained his image.

“I had that for quite a while” is the understated emotional core. It suggests loyalty, patience, and a slow accumulation of skill rather than sudden genius. In a band famous for theatrical excess, Deacon’s voice here is almost anti-rock: modest, practical, unflashy. The subtext is class and temperament - the kind of musician who builds a career not by declaring greatness, but by staying with the tool long enough for it to become an extension of the body.